I've always heard Death as a kind of gloomy character. Over the years the voice I hear gets more and more like the guy who voiced Marvin the paranoid android in the TV version of Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy (NOT the movie travesty).

A quick scan of the imdb gives me the name of Stephen Moore as Marvin's voice.

I think definitely CG and given this scenario Stewart definitely has the vocal range. Still James Earl Jones would be front runner for me. The whole point is that death has a deep and funereal voice and Jones wouldn't even have to try.

I don't think it really matters what the actor looks like, seeing as it's Death and you should only be able to see a skeleton anyway. I suppose you could get anyone with a reasonably clear deepish voice to speak into a bucket while standing in a cave for the right effect.

Not very up on actors, but I've alway had my own clear idea of death. And the Patrician for that matter.

Death to me is a middle sized skeleton (sompared to a human) with more of a bleach bone/creamy complexion. He doesnt have the grinning skull face, because that would ruin his image. I always Imagined you could see only a bit of his face at a time. His eyes arnt so much glowing as deep..and his mood makes him seem impartial, yet at times he tries. Also..It seems to me he has a few different voices. The BIG BOOMING death voice for when he wants to scare you/make a point, and the softer, kind of raspy booming voice for his regualar talk...more in the tone and loudness differance then in the actual depth and clarity.

The patrician would have to be somebody skinny and pale. Intelligent eyes, an impassive face, and an altogether image of a guy who could eat you alive at any moment...The way he talks and stares makes you feel like a mouse being grinned at by a hungry cat. Not a greaser by any means...more of a finely dressed down to earth guy. Definately not the fancy ribbons and lace pompous idiot either. Very simple..yet very commanding. Kind of like a toned down assasin *wink*

I've always thought as death as being (obviously) a skeleton who speaks in a thick thrummy humm that you can't understand, and there would be subtitles in CAPS, so there would be no actor for Death, just a sound design team. The subtitles would also help translate a lot of death's humor to the screen.

Thats a cool idea Zisteau, seeing as Death never really spoke did he and like you say lots of his jokes are in the way it's written. The only thing is... would it get anoying having to read it all the time rather than concentrating with what was going on the screen? Plus it could be confusing because how would the characters hear death?

I dont know anything about them actors so I will just go along with your judgement....

[quote:e627ea4e53="Wizzard"]Death to me is a middle sized skeleton (sompared to a human) with more of a bleach bone/creamy complexion. He doesnt have the grinning skull face, because that would ruin his image. [/quote:e627ea4e53]

I would have gone for a larger skeleton, something more intimidating and I could not imagine him without the grin. In many ways this is part of his personality.

[quote:e627ea4e53]I always Imagined you could see only a bit of his face at a time. His eyes arnt so much glowing as deep..and his mood makes him seem impartial, yet at times he tries.[/quote:e627ea4e53]

I like the idea of only seing a bit of his face at a time, as in we can only focus on one aspect of his physical appearance at a time as he is part of our imagineation, not sure how this would work on the big screen. The eyes, definitely. Glowing for me is a little unrealistic. Almost a shiny black colour that implies there is more hidden.

[quote:e627ea4e53]Also..It seems to me he has a few different voices. The BIG BOOMING death voice for when he wants to scare you/make a point, and the softer, kind of raspy booming voice for his regualar talk...more in the tone and loudness differance then in the actual depth and clarity. [/quote:e627ea4e53]

I'm not sure about the voice, it would have to be someone who coud throw his voice well but still sound the same person. I think it would be essential he sounded completely human as though he is mimiking the style.

In other words...I think the only death that would work is on in CGI Otherwise I just can't see make up and costumes pulling of the right effect.

I doubt any passably good Discworld movie could be made. What ever is done with Death would be a total travesty. I think Ian Mckellen could be an almost good Patrician when he was younger, but I don’t know who I’d chose for the role now…maybe if he got a bit of plastic surgery.

I think Death could be done right in a movie, just as long as don’t change his character to be more “menacing” or something like that. Now that I think of it Ian McKellen would be interesting as Death.

[quote:0fbb33d6df="fairyliquid"][quote:0fbb33d6df="Wizzard"]Death to me is a middle sized skeleton (sompared to a human) with more of a bleach bone/creamy complexion. He doesnt have the grinning skull face, because that would ruin his image. [/quote:0fbb33d6df]

I would have gone for a larger skeleton, something more intimidating and I could not imagine him without the grin. In many ways this is part of his personality. [/quote:0fbb33d6df]

I'm pretty sure that Death is described as being 7' tall in one of the earlier books.
As for his voice, it's a hard call but I think Brad Garrett (Robert - Everybody Loves Raymond) would be good.

Think about the last sequence in Monty Python's The Meaning of Life - I think John Cleese would make an ideal Discworld Death - this shows that he can do the obvious "menacing" bit that the character is based on, but he has the versatility to show the other aspects of the character - some of the bewilderment of Basil Fawlty that others around him are not seeing the world the way that he does would work very well for Death.

i devanatly think Cristerfer lee could play Death because on the anamted moves of "Weryd Sisters" and "Soul Music" his was brillant as the voce of Deth but the big question is who would play Susen? or lobsang?

[color=violet:04a3183727]I really love Bill Nighy, he is a fab actor, but I don't think he is my 'Death' - especially not the voice. I'm not entirely sure anyone who is already known could pull it off - a new face would be better IMO.

patrick stewarts voice is completly wrong death should be computer animated (to get the eyes right...there is no other way) with the voice they use in the games. Of the choices christopher lee would be the best though.

I also prefer the original versions, although I only recently managed to see the original star wars version (no damn DVDs for YEARS, mister Lucas !) and the one voice that is actually better in French is Yoda's... it suddenly sounded so WEIRD in english, like some weird alien squeaky thing, whereas the french voice sounds like a venerable old monk which seems more fitting to me...

this doesnt really have much relation to the topic but i didnt know where else to put it but terry pratchett has wrote a very very short story about death and ive only just discoverd it and anyone interested in reading it can find it on the L-space website sooo hmmm

Looking at this again I've just realised that this is the second poll in which I've cast John Cleese. I either have great faith in him as an actor or a very limited knowledge/imagination when it comes to choosing actors.

[quote:d919f2444f="Hermia"]
Who played the Grim Reaper in Bill And Ted's Bogus Journey? He was pretty good, I thought.[/quote:d919f2444f]
William Sadler - Not bad...
When I saw Bill &amp; Ted's Bogus Journey, I couldn't help thinking of Discworld Death, and that the voice was not quite right. Why did Death have a teutonic accent?

Hmmm...good choices all of them, but nothing quite right. If Death is going to be CG then Andy Serkis needs to play him(HA! just joking, though he does seem to be getting all the motion capture work recently...) anyhoo, I don't honestly know if even James Earl Jones could do the voice work either, he's just so identified with Star Wars and CNN. What if Ian McKellan voiced Death? He's just deep enough to hit the funeral registers and he can do the whole befuddled thing that Death has going on pretty good....... :?:

Back when I had this crazy idea to get a team together to create a CG movie of Reaper Man, I had done a lot of thinking about who would be the perfect voice for Death. The one actor that really came to my mind as having the perfect voice for him was John Hurt.

What became of that project? In case you're still around and didn't just drop by, Thorsun (it took me a moment until it made "click" in connection with your username) - you might want to give us an update!

Were he still around I would have said Vincent Price, But as it is Christopher Lee is a good choice, or James Earl Jones.
But any would be just voice acting, as I also agree that death would have to be CGI